Bring Me to Life
by Cata-nee
Summary: He was an ambitious prince, carefree, and tenacious. Maybe that was why she stalked him. Through her eyes he needed to be taught that some rules were meant to be followed. Through Ling's, she needed his passion to bring her to life. Ling x OC x Greed.
1. Paparazzi

**Those of you who already read this chapter, I've tampered mostly with the second part. You should reread it, and it won't take long.**

**Continued Summary:** _He was an ambitious prince, carefree, and held within no bounds. Maybe that was why she stalked him. Through her eyes he needed to be taught that some rules were meant to be followed. Through Ling's, she needed his passion to bring her alive. She was already bound by the loyalty as a retainer for her rightful prince, but manages to become entwined with this new squinty-eyed one._

_**Pairings: **Ling x OC for sure. Depending on results of poll and my mood swings, this story will include a love triangle sort of scenario, but with Pride or Greed? Vote on poll. _

**A/N: **If you'd like to see a drawing of my OC, be it terrible/laughable or well done/awesome, look on my profile for link. (Seriously, for you all who like me, keep up to date on my profile. I put serious stuff up there. Like hurricanes or the school lunch menu.)

So…long author's note short, this made me LOL:

"Ling appears to be sensitive about his eyes. So no one would mock him, he tries to keep up a smile all the time, because he wants them to seem authentic." – Fullmetal Alchemist Wiki

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FMA or FMA Brotherhood. If I did, Ling would be mocked for his squinty eyes and called ugly, which I know he totally isn't.

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><p><strong><em>Bring Me to Life<em>**

**.**

_| Are you stalking me? Because that would be super. |_

**Chapter 1**

Paparazzi

**.**

In every fairy tale, there is always the story of a princess and her valiant knight. But this was no fairy tale, so it's safe to say that the genders are switched. (Prince and _FEMININE _knight)

Ling likes to be treated like a princess anyway, but he never imagined stalking was one of the perks of being royalty.

At least he thought she was stalking him. It was safe to proclaim so. Casting a glance over his shoulder every now and again wherever he was, he could catch a glimpse of her blue-black hair or her airy skirt. Perhaps, on rare occasion, her wide golden eyes would look slanted like any normal Xingese countrymen would.

Who squints all the time like that, anyway?

Ling, who was currently seated at a food shack, irritably stared straight ahead at the shelves of food displayed by the proprietor. He was irritated because he could bet twenty turkey legs that that weird girl was following him again. She was probably seated at a _different _food shack, holding a newspaper so that it shielded her face, but he and she both knew she would be peeking at him in some alternate way.

He had tried to get Lan Fan and Fu to sic her, but they explained to him she remain elusive or buried within the public eye so they would be unable to kidnap or interrogate her.

Ling had high expectations for a wild or tragic tale behind that smiling face she always bore.

"Um…excuse me, Sir. Can I help you?"

The thoughts of his stalker receded, and Ling enthusiastically greeted the shopkeeper, "Hey there! Got any Amestrian delights you'd want to share with me?"

The old man chuckled heartily, "I'll see what we've got in stock, " he crouched down, probably rummaging through the lower shelves that were a part of the main counter.

Ling watched him curiously until something hard hit him on the back of his head. He grunted in slight pain before rubbing the sore spot, and in his hand he found it was a cen **[1]** that was tossed at him. The Xingese Prince, vexed, flipped his torso around, displaying a pissed off visage as his squinty eyes darted around for the person he _knew _threw the money at him.

All of his questions were answered once he saw a newspaper at, oh someone totally owes him twenty turkey legs now—_a different food shack _giggle. Ling glared at her, as if she could actually receive his gesture, but then he saw this as an opportunity.

Forgetting about his order with the old shopkeeper, Ling stealthily slunk into the back of the two adjacent food shacks.

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**.**

Pinching her eyes shut in uncontainable laughter, the Xingese girl giggled from behind the large newspaper, her arms shaking in the ecstasy. In her mind she was chortling at the assumed idea that the Xingese boy didn't know that she had been stalking him for quite a while now, in fact, ever since they visited Xerxes, she had been following the party of three.

She didn't have a lot of Amestrian money at hand, but she found it appropriate to mess with the Xingese boy a little more. To have caught the irritable and dumbfounded look on his face like she had was apparently laughable to her.

Zhen Ji's fingers clenched the newspaper tightly, until the object had been wrenched out of her hands. The Xingese girl jumped up in alarm, bright yellow eyes desperately searching for a solution to the missing newspaper. When she turned around to have her face almost buried within the toned chest of the stalk-ee, her nerves tensed up.

"A little bird threw a cen at me a while ago. Was the little bird you?" The Xingese man raised an eyebrow over a squinty eye at her, and she stared back fearfully.

Her suspicions were deemed true.

Ling leered high above her seated figure, holding the newspaper behind him.

Zhen Ji kept her stance bold and defiant, looking back at Ling with a fire in her eyes, "…So the rumors are true…" she muttered, emotionless.

Ling's risen eyebrow rose even higher as he inquired, "…what rumors?"

"You really do keep your eyes shut like that all the time…" Zhen Ji's hand shot straight for Ling's face, and she pointed to the eye that was covered by his bangs.

As she turned to stifle a giggle, he couldn't stop the smirk from creeping on his face.

But then he realized something.

_Wait. Wait. This girl is crazy! She's been stalking me for the past month! I can even summarize the schedule of our daily lives!_

In the morning, Ling would wake up on a random rooftop, and when he opened his eyes he could see that on _another _rooftop, there she was.

In the afternoon, Ling would pass out on the street due to hunger, and when someone woke him up he could see that passed out on the _other side _of the street, there she was.

In the evening, Ling would mooch food off of a random victim or circumstance, and when he surveyed his surroundings he could see the Xingese girl getting quite touchy for the same motives.

Now that she was in front of him, subject to all of his questions, Ling thought he'd take it calm and gentle since the only harm she'd ever done was mentally scar him and toss a cen in his general direction.

Zhen Ji swallowed a knot in her throat as her hazel eyes looked up at the Xingese man—namely Ling Yao, another prince of the Emperor of Xing. There was a reason she had been his shadow for the past month.

"…So. Why have you been following me? You're obviously from Xing." Ling folded the newspaper within his hands, looking down at the girl almost like a parent would when chastising their child.

She stared back at his stern gaze for a few seconds before her flat expression contorted into a grin. She looked away from Ling, burying her head into her arms on the table as she bubbled away with laughter.

"…" Ling failed to see the humor she did. Maybe she was just naturally cheerful, but even more so than he was.

"I-I just can't take you seriously if you really do look like that!" Zhen Ji chortled with laughter, her slouched figure shivering with each squeak. Ling's expression looked hurt as he was sensitive about his eyes.

Blushing, he brushed his hand across her arms as he brought himself to the other side of the table, taking a seat opposite from her, "Let's make this easy, then. My name is Ling Yao, if you're from Xing, then you must have heard of me. What's your name?"

Zhen Ji's head lifted, and her mouth fell slightly agape as the information was given to her. She unfolded her arms from under her and set them on her lap, positioning herself more appropriately, "My name is Zhen Ji, and my family serves under the Cao clan. I too, am loyal to a prince who requires an edge in order to become the next emperor of Xing. I'm the only retainer of his that has actually entered Amestris in hopes of finding a way to immortality."

She had shut her own eyes; speaking in such a formality her fondness of her own prince was evident. But Ling would have no part in entwining himself with the affairs of others clans.

In fact, it would probably be best to get rid of a rival prince's retainer now…

Zhen Ji, smiling to herself, finally opened her eyes once the sounds of rustling emanated from behind her person. Hidden within the depths of her black two-piece skirt, a kunai was revealed, and its form conflicted against another kunai that was threatening to strike her.

A new face made itself known on her current expression, a face of passion, strength, and will to live. The suddenly appearing Lan Fan's kunai and Zhen Ji's kunai shook against one another, unable to overpower the other.

Ling watched the two females intently. He had to expect that other clans would pursue the same ambitions he did. He just wasn't expecting a single retainer to stalk him as vigorously as this one had.

She was interesting, nonetheless.

"You are making things difficult in following the young lord like this." Lan Fan muttered, sounding as composed and intimidating as she could.

Zhen Ji's hand began to feel sore as Lan Fan and her still bore knives against one another, but she kept up a stubborn smirk, "Oh, it's you again. You know, you really should do a better job guarding your Prince's body. Stalking him was a piece of cake!" A mocking giggle escaped her strained smile.

Lan Fan's black eyes rose to that of saucers, before she clenched her teeth and growled. Finding a new rush of adrenaline, she forced Zhen away from her, whose black flats skidded against the concrete ground of Rush Valley. People around took notice of their actions, and watched as Lan Fan and Zhen Ji stood on opposite ends of one another, both breathing heavily.

"You don't think I'll simply allow you to leech off of our struggles just so you can just reap the reward from us in the end."

Zhen crossed her arms over her chest, the hand containing her kunai pressed against her shoulder vertically, "...Oh, so you already know why I'm following you? I can't believe how sharp you guys are!" The Xingese girl pursed her lips and dropped her brows.

In the background, accompanied by another shady figure, Ling clapped enthusiastically. "At first I thought you were brave in pursuing us...but now I see you are just a fool," Lan Fan pressed her palm to her masked face while shaking her head disappointedly.

She hadn't responded at first. Instead, she smiled a wry smile, pressing her index finger to her lip as she leapt expertly from the ground. The growing crowd's eyes struggled to find the girl, but quickly found her on an elevated rooftop; leaning forward to watch them. There was a certain look in her eyes, sharp and fierce as a hawk's, yet somehow playful. "Tell you what: because I've been found out, if you're able to catch me in a game of tag, I'll oblige to one request. But death is not a liable choice. I can't die here, that would be bad."

As Lan Fan uttered a 'what', Fu, from beside Ling, stepped forward in answering her challenge. Though a bandaged hand was firmly placed before him.

"Young lord?" The old man, also disguised behind a mask, looked at the Xingese prince in question.

With a sinister smirk rivaling the pesky girl's, Ling pronounced, "Don't worry old man Fu, I'll handle this. I can't have you two doing all of the work, now can I?" Fu and Lan Fan tried to retort and persuade Ling from dabbling in trivial business, but he seemed to have his mind made up**. **His feet firmly square on the dusty ground, and with all eyes on him, Ling gripped the handle of his dao sword.

Noticing his gestures, Zhen hastily declared, waving her arms frantically before her, "Um, n-no weapons! I did say I'd rather keep my life, didn't I?"

One of Ling's brows rose, "Oh, you did? I'm sorry, I have trouble listening to people sometimes." He smiled at her, allowing his arms to rest idly by his sides. **[2]**

Zhen granted him a playful smile, studying him for a few moments. Reaching under one of her skirt flaps, Zhen pulled out a cylindric object, bringing it to her teeth and making an odd, biting gesture before thrusting said object at Ling, "Here, catch this!"

The crowd, his bodyguards, and Ling himself watched the grayish object launch towards him, and he only stared at it dumbfoundedly and emotionless as his hands instinctively rose to capture it. His squinted eyes slowly watched the small fuse on the mechanism grow shorter with a meaningless and strained smile.

"T-TEAR GAS!"

"Everybody scatter!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

Creating a canopy over her hazel eyes, she cooed at the scene. Welcomed by the sudden outburst of smoke and screams containing words such as, 'my eyes' or 'I'm blind', she whistled as the girl propelled through the air farther away. She was gaining distance from them, and Zhen thought she was moving pretty fast too.

Her feet planted firmly on a final rooftop before she decided it was safe and Ling was nowhere to be found. If she was lucky, he was rolling on the ground, whining childishly about his eyes (not that they were much to look at anyway) and how he couldn't see. That was the type of person Zhen percieved the young prince to be after the time she spent stalking him and his persistent lackeys.

Zhen lingered over the edge of the building, crouching real low as her predatory and ninja skills kicked in.

Okay, so it had been almost two minutes already. The tear gas should have worn off long ago. Zhen pursed her lips, rather disappointed by the lack of challenge. Even if Lan Fan and Fu were able to evade the effects of the gas, the game required Ling to tag her, and not them. The girl quietly groaned, tapping her foot impatiently, "Hmmm..."

A sudden change in the wind caused her eyes to widen. Zhen jerked her head behind her, about to push herself off the ground by recoiling her bent knees, but the attacker surprised her by pressing his hand firmly against her back, pushing the literally dazzled girl over the edge. Her flats skidded across the concrete in an attempt to stop her forced movement, but to no avail.

Zhen sailed headlong through the air, until a tenacious hand wrapped around her ankles. Zhen's eyes were pinched closed, but opened once she realized she wasn't falling anymore. The two flaps of her skirt reached her chest thanks to gravity, but she ignored the clothing; stretching her upper body forward as much as she could, the Xingese girl wasn't surprised to see a certain squinty-eyed boy smirking coyly at her.

Blowing a strand of her blue-black hair out of her stubbornly defeated eyes, she pouted, "Crap."

Unhindered by the weight of the girl hoisted by his single hand, Ling calmly and teasingly replied, "Tag. You're it. So does this mean I can ask you to do whatever I want?"

She let her whole body dangle again, feeling not only strain but loss in her stomach. The blood rushed to her head, "As long as you don't kill me, a deal's a deal, and the Xingese always keep their promises."

Finally, something other than a smile occupied her face. In fact, her face was as red as a tomato—and it wasn't just the blood pooling at her brains.

Somehow Zhen had forgotten that Ling was above her, and her airy skirt was completely flipped over.

Seemingly ignorant of his nose-bleed worthy view, the poker-faced Ling Yao smiled as he demanded,

"Work for me."

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><p><strong>[1] - <strong>Cens are currency in Amestris. I'm assuming that Cen would be the singular noun.

**[2] - **Not so much that Ling doesn't listen, it's that he's ignorant.

**A/N: **Still working on the second chapter! And it won't be very long or detailed as Rapacious. I kinda want Bring Me to Life to help escape from the seriousness of fanfiction and FMA, since Rapacious is supposed to be implied serious business.

So, please tell me what you think. I know Zhen's purpose seems obvious (More than likely she will change later on), but if you know me very well as a fanfic author, you'd know that I LOVE to put my own twists into the story, without changing the actual plot though making sure you don't reread the same thing every story.

Hm, that felt like a run on sentence but whatever. You get the point. If you reviewed already and would like to review, drop an anonymous review, I don't mind. I think I like this revised prologue-thing better. And also, do you like Zhen's old look or the new one better? Picture on profile.

Thank you for reviewing and tell me what you think.

OH YEAH AND VOTE ON POLL FOR POSSIBLE PAIRING OPTIONS ON PROFILE


	2. Hide and Seek

**A/N:** Hello, and thank you for coming to this page! Here comes the long awaited update for Bring Me to Life, AKA, the chapter that dictates whether or not you shall return to this story the next update and/or review!

AND GODDAMN. I SUCK AT KEEPING SCHEDULES. You know what, readers, no more promises, all I want you to know is that updates are random but I won't abandon a story (Exception is Avaricious, and Rapacious is its rewrite).

Near Christmas! I wonder if I should do a Christmas special…nah. Hm. Maybe. (Always end sentences with a maybe to keep your readers guessing!)

Thank you and read & review, kind souls. I seem to never get new reviewers, not that I dislike my active ones. I love you guys. Seriously. Expect an anonymously signed package in your mail.

**Disclaimer:**I do not own FMA or FMA Brotherhood. Though if I were granted temporary ownership of Ling Yao, I'd dunk his head underwater in the bathtub for getting me addicted to pandas. And him.

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><p><strong><em>Bring Me to Life<em>**

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_| You're even cuter when you're in shock. |_

**Chapter 2**

Hide and Seek

**.**

The black-haired woman's face waved to and fro in a desperate attempt to spot the familiar figure of her lord. Sweat perspired on the frame of her brow to prove effort was exerted. Still, no such luck.

"Where are you?" Lan Fan cried out, knowing full well it was hopeless. Trying to find Ling was like finding a needle in a haystack—and it was even worse in such a place like Rush Valley. There were so many crooks and seams he could crawl into after fainting from hunger!

The rustling of leaves ensued afterwards, and suddenly blue-black hair fell from the depths of a nearby tree, the smiling face was portrayed upside down, sending spasms of shock up Lan Fan's spine, "Here I am~!" Zhen Ji giggled as her upper body hung from within the tree.

As she slowly interpreted the identity of the girl, Lan Fan spared her a look of disdain before glancing away, "Not you. I'm searching for Master Ling."

Zhen Ji frowned, watching Lan Fan leap gracefully to another tree branch. The older girl pulled herself right side up, and then followed in suit behind Lan Fan.

Her arms spread wide like a bird's wings would as she balanced herself on the limb Lan Fan was perched on. Allowing her hands to grip the body of the branch, Zhen Ji inquired, "Ling's gone? Where did he go?"

"If I'd known that, we wouldn't be in this situation," a canopy was formed over Lan Fan's eyes. Even past that horrible looking mask, Zhen could see the concern that lined her dark irises.

Maybe there was a little more _something_between Lan Fan and Ling…

Her knees bent forwards before recoiling, causing Zhen Ji to launch off of the tree, landing on a nearby building rooftop. Forming her own personal hand canopy, the Xingese girl smiled as she watched the whimsical, lively movements of the Rush Valley residents mingle and stride along the streets.

From her own observations of stalking the Xingese Prince, Zhen Ji thought the shifty-eyed boy was passed out along some random street. There was probably a dog cuddled up against him too. She giggled. Oh, how she loved dogs.

Lan Fan watched as Zhen Ji descended from the rooftop, some shingles tearing from the sheer force. "W-wait, where are you going?" Lan Fan paused for a moment. What did she care? Zhen Ji was an appropriate rival, after all. Though she was supposedly an expert in stalking, so perhaps it was wise to let her loose…

Lan Fan's sigh was accompanied with a look of remorse, her brows dropping in exasperation. She was probably more useful than Fu, who seemed to vanish whenever Ling did.

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The Xingese girl stuck out like a sore thumb while walking along with the other citizens of Rush Valley. Not only was she much more energetic than they, but her foreign attire may be described as 'flashy'. In Zhen's defense, the skirt and high collar proved useful to hide pointy weapons.

Zhen Ji thought it ingenious to check all of the food shacks before making her next move, however the Xingese prince was nowhere to be found within the premises. Forming another canopy with her hands to shield her from the afternoon sun, Zhen Ji displayed a frown, muttering to herself, "Now if I were Ling Yao, where would I be…"

Striding aimlessly through the desolate (In her opinion; the rusty automail and arid climate was quite distasteful) town, the Xingese retainer began to reminisce on recent events.

Most importantly, her union or partnership with Prince Ling Yao. Now one would question why she'd engage in a one-sided game of tag with the formidable royal blood, but Zhen was confident in her abilities; so much she wouldn't hesitate in provoking Lan Fan were she the type of person.

Back to the subject of tag, Zhen liked to play games! However, in all the seriousness that she harbored, being a rival retainer, Ling Yao more than likely would have had her executed on the spot. And three versus one didn't seem a very fair scenario. Her punishment in becoming compromised (Though she wasn't that subtle from the start) would be to serve the young prince.

Even so, the relationship wasn't going to be a burden. In fact, it benefited Zhen in her _real_mission.

Though her contemplations seemed an eternity, the girl became drawn back into reality just in time to visualize the dragging tracks she'd made in the ground.

"…" With a lazy eye and one fluttering open, the girl was confused as to why she had only covered about a yard's distance in that amount of time.

Her legs felt like jelly, as she wobbled on them, only half-heartedly attempting to stand up straight.

As if it were a surprise, the Xingese girl collapsed on the ground due to the disease all Xingese suffer appropriately named "mass hunger anxiety".

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"Um…brother?"

"What is it, Al? …Did you find another cat again? I swear to god, if you did, I'll—"

"It's not a cat, brother!" Alphonse stood up from his crouched position, stepping to the side and gesturing towards the dead girl in the alleyway.

"Not a stray cat; so what the hell is that anyway!"

"It's a girl."

While sucking the liquid dry out of his cup, the blonde boy traipsed towards his brother, bearing a stick. He cautiously nudged the girl's back with the branch, awaiting any sign of movement like a cat near a mouse's nest.

"Brother, don't do that!" Alphonse swatted the stick away, causing Edward to gasp, and they proceeded into a heated argument.

"Who cares, she's dead anyway!"

"Well, how would you know that?"

With such admirable intensity and with the sense that he was in no way incorrect, Edward raised the evidence of his proof: the stick, "She didn't react when I jabbed her with this thing. She's obviously dead, Al, so let's go grab some lunch."

The last word was that of bliss; salvation; redemption. Though the locks of her blue-black hair messily covered her slightly peeled eyes, Zhen used the words of encouragement to usher her own, "…Need…food…"

Any normal human would comment that with her manner of speaking, she would have been mistaken for a zombie. That was probably why they couldn't understand her mumbles, instead looking astonished. Despite how clean and rather cute she looked, Edward and Alphonse jumped backwards from the sudden, moaning voice, clutching one another:

"AUGH! Holy crap! It just talked!"

"I told you she was alive, Ed!"

Quickly pulling away from each other, Edward pointed at the girl, taking the responsibility to assume command of the new drastic situation he and his brother somehow always found themselves in, "Alright Al, let's spread the name of the valiant Elric brothers and save this dying girl from whatever disease that's taken a hold of her. You grab the legs, the arms, and the body. I'll supervise."

Standing beside Edward without any sense of the humor or sarcasm that dripped from his words, the armored boy protested, "Wait, doesn't that mean I'm doing all of the work?"

"There's no time, Al! Lives are at stake here! Let's bring her to Winry and hope she knows what to do with girls with stomach aches!" Edward pranced ahead a few steps in advance to Alphonse, who was just carrying Zhen in his arms, until the shorter one rubbed the back of his neck, "…On second thought, did I mention lunch earlier? Because I meant it. Let's get something to eat on the way."

"Brother!"

"Just a biiiiite, Al," Edward whined matter-of-factly, folding his arms behind his head as he strolled on through.

And despite hearing all of their chattering as clear as day, Zhen was infinitely grateful of the one called 'Ed's' bulging stomach.

All right, time to mooch some suckers.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The loud noise of glass hitting wood erupted.

Then a very relieved and contented sigh followed.

Ed and Alphonse watched the girl with two dot tattoos labeled under her right eye; wiped her lips with a panda-printed cloth before she thanked them,

"Oh, wow! I'm saved! Thank you so much, kind Amestrians!"

"It's Edward Elric. And no, thank you for slobbering all over my shoulder. You should've told us you were hungry instead of stealing the food right from my mouth!" Looking like he was recently harassed, Edward boiled over, now currently flapping his red cloak beside him to dry out the saliva.

Zhen only smiled at him with the normal, shifty eyes plus v-shaped smile facial expression that was her signature look, "And I'm Alphonse! We're brothers. Pleased to have saved your life!" This of course, came from the hulking mass beside the steaming short brother.

Waving her hand in a gesture of gratitude, she replied, "Call me Zhen. Thank you so much. That's a really cool suit of armor you got there, Alphonse! So you're into knights?"

She could instantly feel the shift in the air around her that resonated from both boys after her question. For whatever reason was unknown to her. Ed and Al nervously rubbed the back of their heads, both muttering something along the lines of, "yeah," and "thanks".

Ed recovered quickly, immediately going down to business, "Since we're on the subject of outfits, can I ask you something?"

"Oh, you're interested in what I'm wearing?" The girl looked down, unable to spot what was so odd about her attire. She stretched the fabric that tightened at her chest; "I don't see why this gives me strange looks from people. Back in Xing, _every _girl has a vest and a shirt with an open collar like this. It's practically impossible to tell Xingese apart sometimes!" **(Asian ****joke)**

Alphonse looked uncomfortable watching Zhen tamper with her chest area, but Edward remained brave and courageous in further questioning the naïve girl, "Xing? You're from Xing?"

"Yep! It's a real hassle with the desert between us and everything, but there was a certain person I needed to keep an eye on." The girl raised an index finger, locking hazel irises with golden.

Now the short boy looked more comfortable to be around, "Why would you come from there? I thought relations between Amestris and Xing were rare because of said desert."

"Oh, yes, you're spot on. But _I__'__m _here on a very special occasion."

"Party?" Alphonse mused, looking so much larger in comparison next to his brother.

"Ha, you're cute." Zhen half-heartedly joked at Alphonse. Turning her gaze back on Edward she continued, "No, actually, I'm here with a friend. Have you seen another cute looking teenager with weird eyes?" **[1]**

Edward's jaw dropped, skeptical, as his younger brother answered for him, "A 'cute looking teenager with weird eyes'…Nope! I don't think anyone we've seen fits that description." The boy in the suit of armor shrugged his shoulders.

"Uh, how about that guy over there? He looks like he has weird eyes." Zhen found Edward pointing his index finger behind her, and she followed his eyes.

Sure enough, there was a perfectly content boy whose bare chest and squinted eyes set him apart from other Rush Valley inhabitants. An irritated look grew on Zhen's face immediately once she found Ling walking towards their table.

The first thing the Xingese Prince did was slap a hand on the girl's back playfully, and almost drooled on any leftover food, "Heeeeeey there, Zhen! Wow, that's a lot of food you have there!" He slipped beside the girl and began to mercilessly devour the food. **[2]**

All three of them granted Ling hateful or disturbed looks, but Zhen was the only one who dared question him, "…Ling. What do you think you're doing? Where have you been?" Biting her lip and keeping up a smile, Zhen tried her best to withhold her growing anger.

Of course she was angry! She wouldn't have collapsed on the ground if he'd had just stayed with the group and be responsible!

After swallowing his eleventh bite of food, Ling replied, almost singing, "Ahhh~ I've been finding out information on the Philosopher's Stone! What have you been doing?" She watched a poor piece of salmon become forked before disappearing into Ling's mouth cavity. He chewed, swallowed, and then added, "You were eating, right? Well, I guess I won't punish you since you were kind enough to leave me some food."

Zhen stopped, eyes frozen wide with bewilderment. That was a word she'd never heard of before. "Philosopher's Stone?" she repeated after him, watching him quietly and being unaware of any food projectiles.

From the corner of her eyes she glanced at Ed and Al's unreadable expressions. It was like anger, fear, concern—whatever. The thing was the look on their faces looked pretty grave, and it had something to do with this peculiar stone. She quietly reprimanded Ling's carelessness, "Ling, what are you talking about?"

Unfortunately he couldn't hear her mousy voice over the sound of his munching, and so Edward's own voice dominated the conversation,

"Why do you want to learn about the Philosopher's Stone?"

About the same time Edward finished his sentence, Ling halted his eating process, and placed each hand within his sleeve to appear more intimidating and serious,

"Judging from that scary look on your face, I'm guessing you two are familiar with the Stone. You must be alchemists then?" Ling raised an eyebrow, unfazed by Ed's glares.

Zhen seemed to shrink in her seat, and tried her best to focus only on Alphonse's timid expression than Ling and Edward's stare off.

"I'll ask again: What do you want with the Stone?"

"It's quite simple, really." Ling smirked, facial expression looking too goofy to fit the situation at hand. "…Immortality."

Instantaneously as he revealed this, Zhen was witness to how he looked when his eyes opened. It was sort of scary, and sort of weird, since she was so used to his eyes looking closed.

But how funny his face looked (In Zhen's opinion) paled in comparison to Edward looking defiant and immediately denying having any knowledge of the Stone, "Nope, sorry, can't help you. I don't know anything about the Stone."

His eyes closing again, Ling shrugged his shoulders, "Aw, come on, you can't be serious. After all those ugly faces you made at me, you're going to just walk away and leave me empty handed?" He whined the last sentence.

Edward stood up from his seat, Alphonse following in suit. Just as he looked about ready to leave, the Elric boy replied, "I told you, I don't know anything about it."

Zhen Ji watched from her seat beside Ling as Edward and Alphonse began to walk away. She focused so intently on both of their backs, that she hadn't picked up on Ling's signal. Just as she glanced at the Xingese Prince, air kicked up behind her, brushing past her person and sending her hair in turmoil.

As she struggled to fix the messy strands, the Xingese girl saw two familiar black figures bearing knives against the two Amestrian brothers.

Ling's voice filled in the tense silence, "You're a very bad liar, and despite my appearance, I'm not as oblivious as I may seem," Ling rested his head on one palm, and the other in his lap, "You see, you're not the first person I've asked about the Philosopher's Stone. And the most popular answer people gave me was complete unfamiliarity with the Stone. They hadn't even heard of it!"

Even with the kunai knife hovering against his throat, Edward gave off no signs of fear, "…It's kind of impolite, sending your henchmen after two strangers you just met."

"You two are very special exceptions, and it looks like you can help me in finding what it is I'm looking for." Ling looked playful as he waved one of his hands up and down, adding, "I mean it's not like I want to kill you two or anything! Just give me the information I need and I'll be on my merry way, alright~?"

Edward ignored the rants of Ling and instead stared at the masked figure from his peripheral vision. "Looks like we're not going to get out of here peacefully."

Just when Zhen Ji thought Edward was going to give up, he launched his elbow towards Lan Fan, though the former sidestepped the attack, grabbing the brunt of his arm and pulling him towards her. The shocked Elric boy's whole body came tumbling down against the ground, and as he recovered Lan Fan gained a foot's distance between the two.

Alphonse only had time to call out for his brother before Fu subdued him, dodging his simple punch before leaping off of his hulking figure and drop kicking him in the face.

The two brothers met each other on the ground, completely stranger to the foreign martial arts. "What kind of fighting style is that?" Alphonse uttered.

"I don't know, some kind of Xingese sort of thing, I guess," Edward smirked, standing up on his two feet. Picking up a sprint at Lan Fan, he hollered, "But they're still not as tough—"

"As teacher!"

Displaying their impressive acts of Amestrian Alchemy and Xingese martial arts, Lan Fan, Fu, Alphonse, and Edward disappeared within the quickly forming pillars of rock and dust clouds…

…Leaving Zhen Ji with Ling Yao, who cooed at the scene, "There they goooo~"

Zhen pressed her face to her palm, looking quite sick for some reason. It could have been because of Ling's abrasive first impression, or she had just ate too much, "…They're just kids, Ling. Don't you think you're being a little too harsh?" She glared at Ling.

To which Ling only replied with a very meaningful smile, "Aw. You're even cuter when you're angry with me."

Cue shocked-offended Zhen Ji now! What are we, a married couple?

"Anyway. It's not like I'm their father or anything. They don't look too much older than me, if at all, " Ling flicked his finger at the empty stacks of bowls, "…Besides, I mean it when I say I'm certain they're exactly what I need to gain the Philosopher's Stone."

"How old are you anyway?"

"I'm 15!" He chimed, sounding quite proud.

Though Zhen was unimpressed.

"You're _only _15?"

"Why, what's the matter? Are you timid about dating older guys?" Ling teased her, not sounding very serious at all. But that didn't help the red on Zhen's face.

She quickly regained her cool and smirked, looking ignorant, "Oh, who said anything about dating? _Besides_… I don't date younger guys."

**...**

"…You WHAT!"

Zhen Ji is only 16. Calm your pecs, Ling, gosh.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

* * *

><p><strong>[1] - <strong>Does this mean that Zhen Ji thinks one of the Elric brothers are cute? WHAT BLASPHEMY IS THIS

**[2]**** – **Girl tip: If you're a boy, never tell a girl that's a lot of food and if they're really going to eat it all. But Ling's daring, yeah? This only applies to girls that are…well…girls who _care _and are easily offended, I guess.

Come on, Zhen. Don't lead him on and then crush his dreams like that.

I KNOW. THERE WASN'T MUCH LING X ZHEN ACTION. But a good story not only focuses on the main pairing, but the OC's interactions with other characters.

Whew. Good thing I got that done. Now the next chapter, I can put some Ling x Zhen Ji action, can't I? And since it's Christmas break, you can look up to an update next weekend or something of the sort.

Probably going to do Ling x Zhen x Greed because I haven't read a love triangle between GreedLing and an OC before, and because of the poll. Tell you what, Greed wins by a LONGSHOT.

Thanks for reading and review! I'll put some new stuff in the next chapter, I promise.


	3. Wonderland

**A/N: **Merry late Christmas! Welcome to this page of Bring Me to Life! Just a warning, I will be changing things in the plot, though everything will work out fine in the climax, alriiiiight~? This is an extra special bonus Christmas present, because I've been reading lots of Ling x OC fanfics.

HE'S SO FUCKING CUTE! I think Ling tops Greed in my fave book. But I won't touch my 'if you were in the anime' quiz because it's perfect.

Want to know what I got for Christmas? A giant Angry Bird. Like, no joke.

And also an army of tinier angry birds.

Hell yes, I don't need fucking snowballs.

I also don't ask for much from my parents…except to buy me clothes whenever we go to the mall.

Enjoy! Consider this an early New Year's gift, and don't expect an update this weekend. D';

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FMA or FMA Brotherhood. Nor do I own the lyrics to Ling's Theme, "No.1 King". If I did, there would be an OVA starring Ling! D:

* * *

><p><em><strong>Bring Me to Life<strong>_

**.**

_|It's not like it's a convenient life. |_

**Chapter 3**

Wonderland

**.**

A train appears speeding down a forested area, through a series of tunnels before slowly braking at a large city it would seem. The brakes usually take a while to stop the vehicle completely, and for one as agile as Ling Yao, leaping off of the train was mere child's play.

Many heads poked out of the windows of the train, even though a nearby conductor waved his nightstick at them.

"My lord! Do not let the short one's meaningless comments graze you!"

"WHO YOU CALLING SHORT—"

"Not now, brother!"

"Did Ling just jump…?"

"Young lord!"

"Wait, Ling! Could you please come back? Ed didn't mean to call you ugly!" The girl launched out after the prince, right out of the train—which was just beginning to slow down its stop in Central. **[1]**

Everything seemed to slow as Zhen's feet left the window frame, but it wasn't because Ling was sailing out in front of her; his feelings probably hurt. It was just that as soon as her body and the train parted, it sped away—so fast her own fall speed was almost like slow motion picture.

Once she landed and heard Ling's frantic footsteps, she only focused on the train harboring Lan Fan, Fu, and the others as it disappeared into the depths of Central City. Zhen turned her attention back to the shrinking figure of Ling Yao, instinctively putting her body in motion again.

Two strangers lost in a foreign wonderland like this…they had to stick together.

…

He sped down the streets of a sector in Central, nonstop, uncaring, perhaps blindly. She hadn't any idea why Edward's silly comment would hurt him so badly that he'd try to run away from them. All Zhen had to do was make sure he was fine, so she chased after him until now.

"Ling! Ling! Ling, would you please stop running? Did Edward hurt your feelings? I'm sorry if he did, but you know he didn't mean it literally!" Her chest hurt so much from this constant running, even though she was physically fit—this boy was fast. Gasping, gasping through breaths and sweat/water/tears forming in the corners of her closed eyes, she pleaded for him to stop moving for just a second…

Zhen slammed right into his lean figure, and Ling remained unstirred. Only after Zhen opened her eyes again did she find Ling's almost fearful, astonished visage. He looked just as surprised as she was.

"Z-Zhen? That was you chasing after me all this time?" There was a very convincing tear in the corner of his right eye.

The short-haired girl's mouth hung slightly open, but she closed it and kept one of her brows raised, "Wait, what do you mean?"

Ling heaved a sigh of relief, pressing a hand to his beating chest, "Oh, ha, ha! You really scared me, then! I thought some Amestrian murderer was chasing me down so he could kill me…"

"You're kidding. You really are." Or he's just being paranoid, which is expected of royalty from Xing.

Ling only laughed humorlessly as he watched her, shrugging his shoulders. She honestly couldn't read this guy.

Even if he were joking, why would he jump off the train in the first place?

"You mean…Ed didn't hurt your feelings? So why did you jump off of the train?" Zhen demanded, out of breath and confused out of her mind. Confused by his child-like (Yet cute) naïveté!

He furrowed his own brows, slightly before they returned back to being soft, "Well, at first it stung…but I got over it after a little while."

"How long is a 'little while'?"

Ling chuckled, looking away from her and trotting off after a little spin, "Oh~ A second or two. Maybe half."

He began to kick up a sprint; she saw his ponytail soaring through the wind behind him. Zhen's legs, however sore, forced their way after him—oh, but he seemed to enjoy it despite that her once worried face was replaced with frustration.

"Besides….I wouldn't demean myself that way," he muttered to himself in a most eerie voice.

Zhen stared wide-eyed. That was a change of disposition.

Though the serious look on Ling's face was quickly replaced with a smile.

He was certainly two-faced. Maybe stalking and becoming acquaintances with his boy was more than she bargained for.

With a smile so wide he almost appeared devious, he noticed Zhen caught up to him, running by his side. Even though her hair swayed in her face almost messily, he still found just what he was looking for, "So why did you jump off of the train, then, stupid?" The girl asked him, trying to not lock eyes.

Zhen didn't like to swear. Even if she did, it wasn't a very bad word. The worst words she could probably say would be 'hell' and 'dumbass'. Those are very rare pieces of her vocabulary.

Tilting his head at her while in motion, Ling smiled, tapping his forehead with his finger as he replied matter-of-factly, "To get you to chase me, of course!"

Innocently.

Her sprint slowed to a mere jog, and Ling sped forward. While she finally ceased to a bewildered standstill, she could hear Ling's laughter racing along with him on the winds,

"Woohoooo~ You're going to have to try better than that to catch me, Zhen!" He had turned his torso slightly to tease her before running away again. The Xingese girl held her hips, looking reprimanding, but she had no choice but to oblige to his childish demands.

He jumped out of a train just to get her to chase after him? Was he daft in the head or was it just his clever intention?

…

She chased after him, into the streets. It was almost like Rush Valley, when she was searching for him—although this time, there was much more suspicion stored deep within her. Suspicion conserved for this cunning, two-faced prince.

After all, who would go through all of that trouble and façade just to get a girl to chase after you? Was he just bored? What about all that ambition he claimed to have?

Even as she raced after him, Zhen began to notice the odd stares they received from people. Just exactly was the scene that was portrayed in their minds?

Was Zhen a woman chasing after Ling; a man who had stolen their purse?

Were the two oddly dressed individuals some kind of partners-in-crime fleeing the scene?

Or were they just two senile Xingese countrymen disrupting the general peace—at least, that was what Ling's laughter read as.

Her pace slowed down at the realization, but mostly because she was getting tired. Not only that, but Ling collapsed in the street in front of her. Thankfully, no Central civilian crowded around them.

Crouching down on her knees before him, she worriedly asked the fallen Ling, "What happened? Did your heart stop yet?"

"…No."

Her face flashed surprise, "Really? So what's wrong?"

"Hungry…"

After hearing his words, Zhen put on a small, sympathetic smile. She laughed, resting her hands on his shoulders in preparation to hoist him up, "I should have guessed."

With all her remaining strength she pulled the deadweight to his feet, allowing him to lean on her as she carried him along. Surprising to even her, although Zhen had to baby-sit the younger teenager, there wasn't any sign of disdain on her face.

Ling weakly chirped, "Thanks…!"

"I didn't say I was going to feed you," the expressionless Zhen commented.

"Aww…but if you don't then I…" She heard him swallow hard, like a gulp.

Feeling the slightest pity and sympathy, she chuckled humorlessly, looking embarrassed on the outside.

She thought he was rather cute, in all of his childish, irresponsible, royal glory.

But she decided that she needed to teach him a thing or two about the rules of life.

Rule of Life Number 1: Don't run around an unknown place on an empty stomach.

…

Just like all of those other times she'd watched him, Ling's gluttonous nature allowed him to wolf down the small amounts of food Zhen scrambled to buy him with what little Amestrian currency she had.

Sure it wasn't right to reward his childish behavior, but she had been a little hungry as well.

"Shouldn't you be calling your own bodyguards?" Zhen Ji asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

"I don't have to! You're here." Ling had replied honestly, smiling appreciatively at her.

A light pink dusted her cheeks but Zhen remained ignorant, looking away by using a bite of food as an excuse, "…But I'm not your bodyguard. Call me…hired help. There's no ounce of loyalty between us."

"But…you promised me, right? You can't break your promises."

Hazel eyes looked a little bigger than normal. The Xingese never break their promises. Perhaps the 'I'm not your bodyguard' comment was not the best excuse…

Zhen looked at him eating from her peripheral vision, "Well…still! I'm not…actually supposed to be watching over you this way. When you meant, 'needed my help', it doesn't mean baby-sitting!"

Ling kept his smiling face on, with the harmless squinty eyes and everything, "It's not babysitting! It's spending time together."

She almost spat out the food she just started chewing, but that would be un-ladylike. With eyes as wide as saucers, the girl struggled to swallow, beating her chest whilst hearing his words. After she took a gasp for breath and Ling was wondering whether or not she was choking, Zhen repeated, "'Spending time together…! So the whole jumping off of the train thing was—"

Before Zhen could continue her sentence, ear-piercing whistles blew, and the two seated Xingese both looked towards the noise.

It was a duo of soldiers, both bearing arms as they rushed towards them.

"Wait right there, foreigners!"

"Don't move!"

Zhen, being the more sensible of the two, recognized the immediate threat. She quickly slipped her hand under her skirt (Secretly hoping Ling didn't notice) and found that she was missing something. The girl thrust her other hand at Ling, trying to gather his attention,

"Ling! Do you have your entry visa?"

"An entry what…?"

The girl face palmed, standing up from her seat and having a sense of urgency in her voice as she voiced, "Let's get out of here!"

"W-wait what?" The prince had stuttered, still holding onto his fork and knife.

Zhen grabbed his only free hand, "I don't have an entry visa either, so unless you want to get stuck in jail, let's run!"

"Run? But there's food here!"

"Stupid! If you didn't know, there's terrible food in prison!"

"But—!"

She didn't have time to argue with his meaningless complaints. Zhen tightened her grip on Ling's hand, being sure to slap some money on their table before she began to lug him along with her towards an alleyway.

"You don't have an entry visa? Why not?" Ling managed to slip in a question between breaths.

She couldn't answer him truthfully; at least not yet. Zhen decided to tell him half of the truth, "I was in a hurry leaving from Xing—"

"Don't run! Or we'll shoot!" One of the officers raised his handgun.

"You idiot; don't shoot at them!" The other slapped his friend's hand.

The impact of the slap on his hand caused the rookie officer's finger to slip, and the trigger was pulled. The few bullets that were actually fired shook fear into the common people around, and they began shouting. Though the bullets that were actually fired landed on someone.

"Ouch—!"

Zhen quickly craned her neck behind her; alarmed by not only the cry of pain, but of Ling's stumbled movements. Her eyesight, which was trained to notice anything out of the ordinary, immediately found the red blotch on one of Ling's thighs.

Despite her acquaintance's injury, Zhen hurried further into the alleyway; taking advantage of the flustered citizens and bickering officers.

Rule of Life Number 2: (Applies to foreigners) Don't enter a foreign country without an entry visa.

…

Zhen poked her head around the corner of the alleyway, peering into a maze of them. They were all empty; that meant no one was following them at the moment.

She wiped her hands together, sighing as she strolled to the seated Ling. He was seated on one propped knee; the other leg showed bleeding through the fabric of his pants. She paused for a moment, contemplating.

Her original mission was to extinguish him, by command of her own Prince; whom of which had grown suspicious of Ling Yao's hasty trip to Amestris. She was sent to keep an eye on him, and if she deemed his quest threatening to their own cause: dispose of him.

Now would have been the best time to fulfill that request. He was wounded and she seemed to be witness to his off guard side.

Or was he always this translucent?

"Urgh…"

His cry of pain pulled Zhen back into reality, and she found her body moving to assist him. She had pulled the cloth around the stained section apart a little bit to get a better look at his injury. Zhen's hazel eyes examined the wound carefully, trying to see if she could find the fired bullet manually.

"Is it okay? Am I going to get infected?" Ling had suddenly spoken up, locking a gaze with her.

Zhen lifted her head to meet that gaze, but after a few seconds quickly glanced back down, "It's not that bad. Even if it was, it wouldn't be a problem," her hands drifted under her skirt, looking like rummaging.

Ling suddenly got red in the face, "W-wait, what are you doing!"

His flustered tone quieted down once he saw her reveal a quintuple of kunai knives. Ling realized what she was.

"You're an alkahestrist?"

She stayed focused on her own work, emotionally putting aside her duty to take care of Ling. Zhen placed the knives in the five points of a star, and quickly drew the shape, connecting the blades together.

"I'm not a master, but I know enough."

She pressed her hands to the ground, the outline of her drawing glowing in a blue light. As she felt the chi flow through her palms and through her fingers, she closed her eyes; mentally instructing the flow of the earth towards Ling's wound.

Before his own eyes, Ling watched the gash on his thigh mend closed.

Once the light subsided, Zhen remained seated, studying her work. She didn't get a very good look at it though, as the Xingese boy launched upward, jumping on the recently healed leg.

He looked too content. She was a little creeped out. "Wait, Ling, I don't think you should be doing that…"

"This is amazing! That felt weird but who cares! Just when I thought I was going to die!" He laughed hysterically, exaggerating and waving his hands around his head in sheer glee. Caught within the moment of his laughter, Zhen failed to pick up on the sounds of footsteps gathering around them.

"Hold it right there. You two are under arrest for fleeing from an officer."

The two Xingese immediately lost color on their faces as they glanced around to find a whole squadron cornering them.

Being the tactical, experienced retainer she was, Zhen promptly began configuring some way to escape the soldiers without having to obey their commands. Ling's sudden hand against her own stopped her train of thought.

"Hold on. Don't make any drastic movements. I've got this," he had stated, stone-faced and serious.

Zhen looked at him, mouth open, "Huh?"

She watched Ling take a few steps toward two of the soldiers, hands by his side. The officers immediately focused on him. Zhen thought, thought very quickly. Was he making a distraction? A decoy?

Slowly Ling's arms rose, and all eyes were on him. Some officers tensed up, and Zhen thought he was going to attack them.

"We surrender!"

Rule of Life Number 3: Don't get caught by the cops.

…

The bars slid in front of them, and as the soldier trudged away, Zhen immediately pressed her face sorrowfully against the cold steel. She wanted to whine, to complain, but Ling was doing enough of it for the both of them.

"I can't believe you just surrendered like that…" the girl muttered, almost zombie-like.

Ling was lying on the single bed given to them, arms crossed beneath his hand. He stopped complaining, finally, "I don't want to have to run around Amestris as a fugitive~!"

Zhen turned her body towards him, looking visually angry for once, "Don't be so lazy. You are physically trained, right? What happened to the Ling I chased around Central all afternoon?"

He laid on his side, smiling at her, "Exactly! I got tired after all of that running, and all of that food I ate didn't help either."

Her wide eyes looked apathetic and defeated, "…Do you have any idea how long they're going to keep us here? What about your mission?"

"Ummm, I'll fix it; don't worry," he mused, fiddling with the twin silver bracelets the officials locked on him.

Zhen drew away from Ling, instead finding a more appealing view through the bars before her. She hung one of her hands loose through it, fingers faithlessly attempting to stretch towards the lock with sloth-like movements.

"All right scum: LIGHTS OUT!"

She heard a few groans coming from the other cells, though she couldn't see them since they were placed so far apart. The lights overhead dimmed out. Zhen listened to the buzzing silence as she stared out into the dark hallways. Some snores squirmed their way through, though.

Zhen turned her torso around to see Ling sprawled out on the only bed. He seemed to share the same thought she did.

"So where are you going to sleep, Zhen?" He inquired, as if he had not a clue himself.

The girl dragged her flats forward, staring at Ling and then glancing at the ground. After a few moments, she fell to the ground, without any form of complaint.

Ling though, sounded flustered as he threw his legs over the bunk bed, "W-wait, you can't sleep down there!"

She had already lain down on her side, her back facing him. His statement yearned for her to look at him, though, "…Well, where else am I going to sleep, Ling? It's not a problem, don't worry!" She smiled a very small, strained smile. Ling watched, gaping as she showed him her back again.

Zhen thought she was finally falling asleep until Ling proposed, "You can sleep up here with me."

Ignoring her hot face and her flabbergasted expression, Zhen denied him, "It's okay. Don't worry about it. The floor is warm."

"No! Come up here, Zhen."

"It's fine."

"No! Get up here!"

"I said it's fine!"

"Zhen, come here and sleep with me right now."

"…"

"…Okay, that was weird. Look, I'll sleep on the floor! Just come sleep on the bed, alright?" He sounded like he was begging.

Zhen craned her neck at him, finding that he was leaning over the bed, with those same squinty eyes. What was new was that his eyebrows drooped and he had a frown painted on his dimly lit face.

For a few seconds they stared at one another until Zhen cooperated, "…You don't mind sleeping on the floor?"

"No, I really don't Zhen."

"You won't complain to me in the morning about your sore back?"

An almost sly-looking smile crept on his face. He shoved his hand against his chest dramatically, "I promise!"

After a response and gesture like that, how could she refuse him? Especially since he seemed determined to get her to sleep on the bed, though she was unsure of whether or not she cared if he slept with her.

Once she stood up, Ling did as well, and he dropped to the floor. Zhen watched him silently before sitting on the bed, watching Ling get into a comfortable position before lying down against the bed frame. Even though she felt like something was wrong about letting royalty sleep on the floor, she was able to close her eyes.

"Sweet dreams, Zhen."

"…Um…good night, Ling."

Rule of Life Number 4: Always be a gentleman.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Zhen felt the bunk bed creak and squeak, erupting within her ears and stirring her awake. She didn't move, but she forced herself to stare into the corner of her eyes.

There wasn't a need to see; his whisper in her ear was enough of an answer.

"You lied; it was cold down there."

His low voice, dripping with gentleness and sweet as it snaked into her ear.

He was hugging her, her form small in comparison to his. And he was right; his whole body felt cold.

Fortunately for him, her warm body mysteriously turned hot, and he felt even more comfortable snuggling with her than hanging out with the floor.

Staring wide into the white of the pillow, her eyes finally closed.

"You really are conniving, aren't you?"

Well…

At least he followed one of the rules.

Halfway.

.

.

.

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><p><strong>[1] – <strong>In the manga, when Edward questions Ling's age and height, he goes into a rage and calls Ling ugly. So what happens when Ling actually takes it to heart?

**A/N: **If Ling seemed a little OOC it's because I see him as being two-faced; one point he's goofy and playful, and the other he's ambitious and serious. You can see I have painted his bubbly side for this chapter. (I also made him a little cunning: yes! He did all of that on PURPOSE! Most of it.)

I'm really sorry if it was cheesy or something. I don't really write stuff like this, especially original scenes. But tell me if you liked it and if you're fine with my portrayal of Ling this way.

Thanks for reading and review!

Again, consider this an early New Year's gift, and don't expect an update this weekend. Or soon...for that matter.


	4. Loyalty

**A/N: **Hello all who inhabit Fanfiction and are visiting my page. I humbly thank you all for coming here, and if you are wondering why I am being so gracious and welcoming it is because I do not know what else to put on this Author's note!

So…I guess I'll end it right here?

Thank you and please review. (Ho ha, that rhymed.)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own FMA or FMA Brotherhood. Nor do I own the lyrics to Ling's Theme, "No.1 King". If I did, I would spend my hard-earned cash on a vanilla bean frappe. WHICH, IS AWESOME.

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><p><strong><em>Bring Me to Life<em>**

**.**

_|Just like that, everything; disappear in a cloud of smoke. |_

**Chapter 4**

Loyalty

**.**

She had fallen asleep with a nostalgic sense of warmth enveloping her. Two strong arms that draped over her bare shoulders, and a tight chest fitted squarely against her back. As if the cot could barely withstand a single person's weight, it had to endure the night with two people.

Whether or not the person she nestled together with for warmth was aware of just how inappropriate it was to do such a thing, it happened, and Zhen Ji actually thanked the young boy.

Her dream for that night was peculiar. She couldn't make anything out, but somewhere near the end of it, something painful took over her, and the end of the dream was quite cold and lonely-feeling.

Zhen Ji was feeling the same way currently; cold and alone. Which was odd, since a special boy practically held onto her for dear life. Honestly, was he so spoiled that he couldn't handle sleeping on the stone floor? Zhen Ji's own prince was just like that.

Her eyelids fluttered open. Two dazed, hazel eyes attempted to adjust to the dark room. The only light came from outside their cell, from the hallways. From her lower position, she stared at those ceiling lights through the iron bars.

Hold on. She was on the ground?

"…Uh…" Zhen Ji pushed herself off of the ground, folding her legs beneath her. She wasn't nearly alarmed enough to notice, but the pleasant snoring that erupted beside her managed to stir the girl to her senses.

The monster behind those snores—Ling—had a wry smile on his face, and his eyes didn't look very different from when he was awake. All in all, he was asleep and apparently very happy he ended up with the bed at the end.

She scowled upon seeing this, and proceeded to slap the rival prince. Though as she raised her hand beside her head, although she had a stress mark, Zhen Ji stared powerless at his sleeping face.

_Hmm…cute._

Her pale complexion went rosy, and the girl's visage was all the more flustered. Her lips parted in shock and she went cross-eyed for just a moment. Unfortunately for Zhen, the exact same time she was keeping up a rather unattractive, bashful face was the same moment when Ling's "eyes opened".

Even though his smiling eyes remained smiling, it would appear he was talking to her, "…Um…Zhen? Why are you raising your fist like you're going to hit me?"

As his words hit her, her expression went to normal, and she rested her arms beside her body. She could have went off on him for pushing her off of the cot, but knowing her place, the girl shook her head, "If you wanted to sleep by yourself so badly, then you didn't have to feel sympathy for me and urged me to take the cot…Prince Ling." She breathed out his name and title.

There was a reason, too. Truth was, Zhen didn't want to mention Ling sleeping with her. Hopefully he wouldn't mention it either, but knowing him, he would label it as "not a big deal".

Well, it was. To her.

The happy-go-lucky fifteen year-old sprung up from his sleeping position, giving her a look that vaguely read "puppy dog", "I'm sorry! I couldn't help myself! It was so cold down there," he wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

Standing before him, she retained no fragment of humor or forgiveness; just poise and seriousness, "…It looks like Ling needs a few pointers on being royalty." The girl struggled a strained smile and shrugged her shoulders, glancing away from him, "…and some insight on personal space…" **[1]**

Ling leaned his head to the side, bewildered, "Hm? What are you talking about, Zhen?"

The Xingese retainer faced him again, waving her hands before her and exclaiming, "Oh, nothing~ Nothing at all~"

_Absolutely nothing._

**.**

**.**

**.**

"43 bottles of beer on the wall, 43 bottles of beer~"

"You take one down, pass it around, 42 bottles of beer on the wall!"

"42 bottles of beer on the wall, 42 bottles of beer~"

"You take one down, pass it around, God, someone get me out of here- right-now!"

"Zhen…that's not how the song goes…"

The shorthaired girl launched herself at the bars, shaking them helplessly. Pretty soon, streams of tears trailed down her face as she whined, dropping down to her knees, defeated, "I don't care…"

Ling, whom was seated on the cot, facing the wall, inquired Zhen Ji, "Oh? You're tired of singing already?"

It was almost pitiful, but at the same time comical as the girl whined, "I just want to get out of heeeerrrreeee…" she gave one more shake to the bars.

Ling didn't look very convinced, but as he turned his attention away from her, retorted, "Is that your way of telling me you don't like my singing? Anyway, so do ninety percent of the other prisoners living here. But I don't see them complaining." For some reason, he sounded faintly offended.

She craned her neck at him, having the mind to glare but not finding the place to, "…That's because the cells are at least 3 yards apart."

"Maybe. But at least I get to see how cute you are when you're vulnerable and defenseless."

A tingle ran up her spine. Like a marionette, she slowly creaked her neck to glance at him. He wasn't even looking at her as he said something to sly. He was focused so much on that stupid wall.

Regardless, Zhen spoke her thoughts, "Eh?…What was that supposed to mean?"

Ling didn't respond immediately. In fact, a few moments had passed with her watching his back before he stirred. It was as if he just realized what he had just said. Almost right after his stirring, Ling turned his torso over, looking red in the face, "Um, that didn't mean anything!" He turned back towards the wall, "Forget I said anything."

Zhen Ji raised an eyebrow. Then she discarded her previous thoughts and changed the subject, "…What are you doing anyway?"

His change of disposition was tangible in his new tone, "Since you wanted to get out of here so much, I decided to take action. Especially after you told me that I make my servants do all of the work—"

"You do," she added bluntly.

"—I'm going to be fixing the problem I made."

She crawled closer to the cot, hearing scratching noises. Keeping her body low as she drew closer, her form slowly raised as she reached the bed, almost like a lion peering out of the tall grass. Though a lion would never suspect a young boy using a sharpened toothbrush to claw his way through a cement wall.

Her eyes went wide like saucers before going half-lidded—unimpressed, "…Ling…"

"Yeeeessss?" It was an elongated reply, full of pride and hope. He hoped she would praise him on his ingenuity.

"You know they're not going to give you another toothbrush, right?"

The light his face gave off extinguished, but the innocence he always gave off remained, "Oh…well, that's fine; Zhen will let me use her toothbrush!"

"…" As she hung her mouth open slightly, footsteps from the outside of the cell emanated. Giving Ling one last look of stupidity, Zhen reached the bars and struggled to find the best perspective.

Her pupils bounced along, and she did see people passing through another hallway, shouting, panicking. Pretty soon Ling joined her, discarding his toothbrush to squeeze alongside her, "Wait, what do you see?"

Zhen relinquished the position to the big male as to not have to be so closely confined with him (Not that she'd ever been very close to him before). "Looks like trouble. The Amestrians are holding weapons," she paused, "…and if you listen closely enough, I think I hear gunfire."

"Oh, there's a riot going on, how exciting!" Ling exclaimed, fist pumping. Zhen didn't catch his fist pumping, and if she did, she would have lectured him on acting more his title. A prince.

The blue-black haired girl peered from behind him, the sounds of gunfire and voices becoming less distant, "Maybe they'll let us out of here…"

"Come on! Is that all you've got? You prison guards are a real letdown, honestly."

"Alphonse?" Ling quickly assumed, expression becoming serious. There was only one person the two Xingese knew had a metallic voice, and Ling thought maybe the Elrics had found out about their imprisonment and came to help.

He smiled, sweetly and graciously. Ling was so flattered they'd go out on their right mind to break him out!

"Hello, sweetheart!"

A girly squeak came from the both of them, regardless of gender, as they bounced away from the cell gate.

The mechanical being, which consisted of a devilish looking helmet and beady glowing red eyes, voiced, "That's not a very polite introduction! Then again, every time I meet somebody new, I cut them."

As Ling clung to Zhen's ankles like a cat, the girl, who was also rather frightened, stuttered as she asked the being, "W-what do you want?"

"What do I want?" He repeated, looking in some other corner of the hallway, "…Absolutely nothing! I was just passing by, and I'm on my way to rescue a really pretty lady who's gotten herself tangled in business that shouldn't involve her."

With the cowering cat clawing her ankles, Zhen peered at the man through the bars, "A pretty lady? You're trying to break someone out?"

"Oh yeah~ I just couldn't help but notice another helpless-looking girl within all those ugly prisoner faces."

At this point, Ling unwrapped himself from Zhen's ankles, "Hey! I'm not ugly! He just called me ugly. I'm not ugly—I'm cute; right, Zhen?" From beside her, he looked upon her for explanation.

The only girl gave him an uncomfortable look, while the armored being pushed himself against the bars, "Zhen? That sounds foreign. You two look foreign. Are you not from here?"

At the sight of the armored being pushed against their bars, Ling shuddered and squeaked again as he clung to Zhen. The former gave him a disappointed look before answering the intruder, "We're from Xing. My full name is Zhen Ji and this scaredy cat's name is Ling Yao. And who are you?"

His beady eyes glowed an even more malicious maroon red, and the fact that he raised one of his (unusually clean) cleavers unnerved the two foreigners, "They call me…Barry the Chopper!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

As soon as the hollow being let the two of them out, Zhen Ji considered running away screaming, and leaving Ling to die (Which is, of course, an exaggeration). Though an obnoxious sense of loyalty came over her, and she felt that although Ling seemed to lack responsibility and was portrayed as a goofy, innocent, (and outspoken) bottomless pit, Zhen needed to take responsibility _of him._

The last thing she thought she would be a part of was an Amestrian prison break out. Back in Xing, people were—

"It has more stripes on the outside!"

"Ling…"

"What are you talking about, foreigner?"

"A tiger! It has more stripes on the outside." **[2]**

"It's a Xingese joke. And Ling, what about Ed and Al? We're not just going to leave them confused like that, are we?"

Ling was fanning a fire. They were outside (Save for Barry, who was watching them from a window of his apartment) smoking fish after parting with Maria Ross. After that huge explosion, Zhen didn't know if the lady was dead or not, but Amestrian matters were never her problem.

Her only objective was to keep an eye on Ling, and dispose of him if she found him troublesome to her own clan's affairs. Lately she'd been interested in them (The Philosopher's Stone, obviously), so she didn't find the need to sail her knife down his throat.

Speaking of knives, Zhen Ji had retrieved her own from the evidence case back at Central Prison.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine. We'll see them soon," the prince took a bite out of his smoked fish, "…Hey! How about tomorrow? I haven't seen them since Ed called me ugly so I kinda miss them." His cheeks puffed out, filled with the cooked seafood.

Zhen Ji discarded the thought that he didn't even offer her any, "…What about this Barry the Chopper guy? How are you going to help him?" The girl paused, from her standing position; the smoke blew in her face and made her eyes watery, "…Why are you going to help him?"

Ling looked up from his squatted position, noticing tears swelling up on Zhen's face, "Aw, Zhen are you crying? Why are you crying? Are you…jealous?" His last words finished with tingles on both their ends.

Her pinkish eyes grew wide before she wiped the burning tears away, "No, you…" she paused, "…stupid! The smoke got in my eyes," Zhen rubbed them, turning away.

He laughed, though it was inaudible to Zhen's ears; they succumbed to her pounding heart. "Have you seen Barry? He was shot in the face and yet he's still alive; he's hollow!" Ling rubbed his chin, "He's immortal, see?"

"See? He's the same as Alphonse. They both don't radiate a flow of chi. If you're so interested in Barry, then why didn't you pester Alphonse this much?"

"Well…I never got to see Al get shot in the head with a twin-barrel, so…"

"…" Zhen looked down, grim and morbid.

"…" Ling stopped chewing, just observing her quietly. There was something troubling her. He knew it because he was a gentleman, and gentlemen know these things.

The girl focused her attention at the apartment Falman and Barry were in. Many things crossed Ling's mind. He could do something funny…or charming…or just scare her—anything to get the secretive girl to open up to him. Despite keeping up a smiling face, something was up and she was hiding it.

He remembered when he found out that she was his doting stalker. Their first encounter was a duel, which he won. What surprised him was that when he asked her to work for him, she didn't complain. Which was weird, since loyalty between Xingese clansmen was unrivaled.

"…Say…Zhen. You're not as perky as when we first met."

Hazel eyes discerned him from a peripheral vision. They were wide.

But as she studied the prince, he looked pretty gloomy as well. His face dropped, and he stared hopelessly into his lap, "…Do you…hate taking care of me?" Zhen Ji still stared at the young man, "…You did say all you've done is baby-sit me."

Immediately upon seeing his somber expression and pitiful face, Zhen Ji hurried to him, hugging him lightly and comforting from behind, "H-hey, don't be sad! It's okay if you break the rules a few times as long as you have someone you trust picking up the pieces, right? Right?" She sounded worried, and almost motherly.

From within her sisterly grip, he squeezed one of her arms for a sense of ease. She hadn't stirred from the gesture, but she wasn't able to witness the sly smirk that covered his face, "Hm…I guess. Since I trust you and Lan Fan, there isn't anything I can be scared of!" Just like that, his depression disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to be replaced with satisfaction and glee.

The mention of Lan Fan threw Zhen Ji off guard, and she slowly loosened her hug, "Um…Lan Fan?"

Vibes of evil and malice radiated from behind her, and the blue-black haired girl quivered at the sight of the furious bodyguard clad in black. It was Lan Fan, and behind her was old man Fu. The other girl glared daggers at Zhen, and the former slowly unraveled her arms from Ling, whom only greeted his loyal servant.

"Impressive response time! I have a job for you two."

**.**

**.**

**.**

"You know, when you were hugging me, it kind of reminded me of something…"

"R-really? What did it remind you of? You looked sad, so I thought I'd comfort you, that's all."

"Let me think…oh, yeah, it was when I was sleeping in my room back in Xing…"

"Sleeping?"

"Yep! All of the blankets were being dried out, so it was cold. I was hugging something."

"And so…"

"You remind me of a cat I had once. I used to hug it all the time."

"…Oh! A…cat. Right. That's reassuring."

"Why are you blushing, Zhen? Are you getting jealous again?"

"Ling."

"Haha! It's cute. You look so cute! Am I making you nervous? Huh? Am I?"

"…"

"…Haha…wait. Why are you raising your fist like you're going to hit me again, Zhen?"

He must have been sleepwalking when he climbed onto the bed, then.

**.**

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* * *

><p><strong>[1] – <strong>Ling is pretty touchy…even in canon.

**[2] – **Lau is my favorite character from Kuroshitsuji. It's only natural I'd like him the most, and only natural he'd remind me of Ling! Or Ling reminds me of Lau. I probably didn't get the joke right, but regardless, it's random and something Ling would say.

It was short and sweet because Bring Me to Life is more of a tool I use to bring up my mood. I'm not depressed or anything, but I owe you guys for not updating last week. I wanted to update both Rapacious AND this story, but it took me all day just to type out this one. See, I usually spend free time I have during the week to brainstorm, but I've barely done any of that so I just made this chapter fluffy and humorous, but at the same time tying it to the FMAB plot.

Anyway, I'll attempt to update Rapacious tomorrow, and thank you for reading this!

Please review. I hope Ling wasn't too...OOC.

Thank you for everyone who has already reviewed by the way~ Love you guys. Don't be afraid to leave a comment or something.


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